Thread: Extra hollow, then wedge, the back again...

As most people, I started shaving with an extra hollow 5/8 razor and did so for years. Then I tried and liked larger blades that are either 1/4 hollow or wedges. Its probably been 3 months since I have used the 1 extra holow that I still have in my collection. I went back to it today and it gave a terrible shave, even though it was just honed by a very reputable honer. The only thing different in my routine was the razor and my touch/pressure was very light. Are some peoples face just better suited for larger, less hollow blades??

I've been using Hollow razors for the last 3 weeks but today I decided to use one of my near wedges. It gave me a very close and very comfortable shave and after my shave I thought to myself "Why don't I use these more often?". I think I'll give the Hollows a break for awhile. So I guess my face likes 1/4 hollow and wedges or I'm getting sloppy with my technique

I have 41 straights from 4/8 to 8/8 extra hollow to full wedge. They all shave the same to me.

I bounce between grinds but I tend toward the 1/4 and 1/2 hollows between 5/8 and 7/8 more.

The over all end result is the same for me but while shaving the feel in the hand and feed back are distinctly different.

I have heard some thick facial hair guys state that heavier grinds work better for them. I'm personally kind of in the middle on how coarse my facial hair is, so any properly honed razor works for me. I keep a variety in my rotation so that I don't get too used to a particular style, today was a Depew Razor, yesterday was the SRP razor.

Those are old barbers tales about fitting grind or size to face and beard. If you got a bad shave from the hollow the probable causes are; It wasn't honed as good as you think, the grind and size difference made you use the razor differently or maybe you preferred the wedge so you just knew you wouldn't get as good a shave with the hollow and you didn't.

In shaving, there are so many variables that for some shavers certain tools just don't work as well or at all when compared to other options. I think Pkp1903 is correct about heavier grinds working better for him.

With my skin, I should not be using a straight or shavette. I do because I like using tools and maintaining them. It is a hobby for me and it's a constant challenge to get a DFS with a straight. Coarse beard and almost no level areas make dragging a large blade over my face very tricky. Getting any straight sharp enough to cut my beard is also difficult. I find that my most successful shaves are with heavier grinds. I don't know why but empirically this is a fact. I don't think I am psychologically sabotaging all my shaves with hollow ground straights.

I don't agree with the idea that one should get a great shave from any straight no matter what the shaver's challenges are. If the straight raiser were the optimal shaving tool for everyone, there would have been no motivation to develop the safety razor which people have been working on since at least the 18th century. Getting a good shave from a straight depends on a combination of tools, skills and beard that for many shavers will never be achieved. So, if one finds a particular kind of razor that works best for them, I believe it is probably a fact based on experience.

For grinds I mainly notice how they hone differently.